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Nai Chetna campaign against gender-based violence gets under way in Kerala

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Urban Development launches the “Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki”- A Community-led National Campaign Against Gender-Based Discrimination.

• Kerala also launched the campaign under the umbrella of the Kudumbashree Mission.

What is the Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki Campaign?

• About:
  • It is a four-week campaign, aiming at equipping women to recognise and prevent violence and making them aware of their rights.
  • Activities will be centred on the theme of ‘Gender equality and gender-based violence.’
• Aim:
  • This will be an annual campaign focussing on specific gender issues each year. The focus area of the campaign this year is gender-based violence.
• Implementing Agency:
  • This campaign will be implemented by all states in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSO) partners, and actively executed by all levels including the states, districts and blocks, engaging the community institutions along with the extended community.
• Significance:
  • The campaign will bring together all line departments and stakeholders to create a concerted effort in acknowledging, identifying and addressing the issues of violence.

What is the Kudumbashree Mission?

• It is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala.
• The name Kudumbashree in Malayalam language means ‘Prosperity of the Family’. The name represents ‘Kudumbashree Mission’ or SPEM as well as the Kudumbashree Community Network.

What is the National Rural Livelihoods Mission?

• About:
  • It is known as “Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)”.
  • It is a centrally sponsored programme, launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in June 2011.
  • The government accepted the recommendation of the Prof. Radhakrishna Committee and restructured “The Swarnjayanti Gram SwarozgarYojana (SGSY)” into “National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)” in FY 2010-11.
• Aim:
  • To reduce poverty by enabling the poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots institutions for the poor.
• Sub-Schemes:
  • MKSP:
    • In order to promote agro-ecological practices that increase women farmers’ income and reduce their input costs and risks, the Mission has been implementing the Mahila Kisan Shashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP).
  • SVEP and AGEY:
    • As part of its non-farm livelihoods strategy, DAY-NRLM is implementing Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) and Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY).
      • SVEP aims to support entrepreneurs in rural areas to set up local enterprises.
      • AGEY, launched in August 2017, to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote rural villages.
    • DDUGKY:
      • Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) aims at building placement-linked skills of the rural youth and placing them in relatively higher-wage employment sectors of the economy.
    • RSETIs:
      • The Mission, in partnership with 31 Banks and State Governments, is supporting Rural Self Employment Institutes (RSETIs) for skilling rural youth to take up gainful self-employment.

What are the Major Causes of Gender Based Violence?

• Social/Political/Cultural factors:
  • Discriminatory social, cultural or religious laws, norms and practices that marginalize women and girls and fail to respect their rights.
  • Gender stereotypes are often used to justify violence against women. Cultural norms often dictate that men are aggressive, controlling, and dominant, while women are docile, subservient, and rely on men as providers. These norms can foster a culture of outright abuse.
  • Collapse of family, social and communal structures and disrupted roles within the family often expose women and girls to risk and limit coping mechanisms and avenues for protection and redress.
• Judicial Barriers:
  • Lack of access to justice institutions and mechanisms, resulting in a culture of impunity for violence and abuse.
  • Lack of adequate and affordable legal advice and representation.
  • Lack of adequate victim/survivor and witness protection mechanisms.
  • lInadequate legal framework, including national, traditional, customary and religious law, that discriminates against women and girls.
• Individual Barriers:
  • Threat or fear of stigma, isolation and social exclusion and exposure to further violence at the hands of the perpetrator, the community or the authorities, including arrest, detention, ill-treatment and punishment.
  • Lack of information about human rights and on how and where to seek remedies.

What are the Impacts of Violence Against Women?

• It seriously affects all aspects of women’s health- physical, sexual and reproductive, mental and behavioural health, thus preventing them from realizing their full potential.
• Violence and threat of violence affects women’s ability to participate actively, and as equals, in many forms of social and political relationships
• Workplace harassment and domestic violence has an impact on women’s participation in the workforce and their economic empowerment.
• Sexual harassment limits the educational opportunities and achievements of girls.

What can be done to Eliminate Gender Based Violence?

• Gender Based Violence (GBV) can be eliminated through collective efforts of society, government and individuals.
• Training healthcare providers to recognize and respond to gender-based violence is one of the most important ways of identifying and assisting victims.
• The media is a key conduit for making GBV visible, advertising solutions, informing policy-makers and educating the public about legal rights and how to recognize and address GBV.
• School systems are instrumental to stopping GBV before it starts. Regular curricula, sexuality education, school counseling programs and school health services can all convey the message that violence is wrong and can be prevented.
• A number of studies have shown that involving entire communities in recognizing, addressing and working to prevent GBV is one of the surest ways of eliminating it.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

1. We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (2014)